From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
A stakeholder in the Niger Delta region, Chief Anthony Oboghor, has urged the people of Niger Delta, especially Bayelsans, to rally round the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to correct the lopsided development in the region.
Chief Oboghor, who hails from Kenan community in Sagbama Local Government Area, stated this on Tuesday, while fielding questions from journalists during a birthday reception organized in honour of Dr. Ogbuku in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
He frowned at the level of underdevelopment of the region which produces the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy, but expressed joy that under the watch of Dr Ogbuku, the NDDC has been reinvigorated to spearhead development of the oil-rich region in line with its core mandate.
“The NDDC is an interventionist agency which was created to bridge the gap in level of development. You will agree with me that we are not like other regions, there’s hardship, poverty, pollution and insecurity in our region, this is mainly due to the lopsided focus of previous federal government administrations and now we are seeing a change”
He described Dr. Ogbuku as a seasoned administrator, energetic, self-driven and visionary leader who over the years has distinguished himself in the service to the state and nation and thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him.
According to Chief Oboghor, who is a trained accountant, Bayelsans and the people of Niger Delta will forever be grateful to President Tinubu for reappointing Dr Ogbuku, who has drawn commendations from across party lines due to his record of achievements so far.
He cited as apt and important the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit 2024 which was held in Port Harcourt, the River State capital, with Senate President, Chief Godswill Akpabio representing President Tinubu, Minister for Niger Delta Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, Governors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders who came together to discuss and fashion ways to achieve the developmental agenda for the region.
“the summit was and is a good idea and we must commend Dr Samuel Ogbuku for this laudable initiative. We ought to have had such a summit long ago but even now, we hope all stakeholders including IOCs will work together to make a difference ” he said.
Chief Oboghor, who noted that no other NDDC MD had performed so well in the short time Dr Ogbuku had been in office, while citing the achievements of the Dr. Ogbuku-led NDDC to include lighting up communities with solar lights, construction of roads, skill acquisition programmes and much more.
He particularly appreciated the NDDC boss’ offer to complete the bad section of the East-West road which has made life unbearable for motorists because of its deplorable condition where road users spend countless hours and even sleep on the road.
“Not long ago, my Governor, Senator Douye Diri spoke about the East-West road and he was unhappy, we are all not happy about the way the road is being handled. And when I heard the news that our son and brother, Dr Samuel Ogbuku has offered to take over the rehabilitation of the road i was happy. We need this road because it is very important to our survival.
There’s no politics in development. We must work together or else we fail together. I believe things will soon change in the Niger Delta region”
The trained accountant however appealed to Dr. Ogbuku to consider extending his laudable projects to some neglected areas of Bayelsa, pointing out that places like…..in Sagbama Constituency Three, the people need to feel the impact of NDDC in areas of road projects, provision of potable water, solar lights, construction of healthcare centre among others
He appealed to stakeholders in the region, especially state governors, traditional rules, youth-bssed groups like the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide and Multinational Oil Companies to work with the NDDC to achieve set goals.
According to Chief Oboghor “we lay the golden egg that feeds this nation but why are we lagging behind? Thank God the NDDC. is now working in line with our collective aspirations. I believe the future is bright but we must support and remain peaceful so that the NDDC can fulfill it’s mandate under close supervision of Dr Ogbuku”
